In professional sumo wrestling, the lowest-ranked division is called jonokuchi.
Jonokuchi is the bottom division in the six-division ranking system used by professional sumo in Japan. Wrestlers generally enter here after passing the recruitment and introductory stages, although a wrestler’s exact starting position can vary.
Above jonokuchi are jonidan, sandanme, makushita, jūryō, and makuuchi. Promotion and demotion are determined mainly by results in official tournaments. A strong record can move a wrestler upward, while repeated losing records can send him down the banzuke.
Jonokuchi is not the same as jonidan, the next division above it. The divisions below jūryō are collectively called the lower divisions, and wrestlers in them usually do not receive the same salaried status as sekitori in jūryō and makuuchi.